French prime minister’s nephew stabbed in Eilat

Reports suggest attack on Philippe’s nephew may be related to France’s refusal to recognize Jerusalem as capital of the Jewish state.

By Margot Dudkevitch

The 25-year-old nephew of French Prime Minister Edouard Philippe was among three foreign tourists stabbed by a gang of men in Israel’s Red Sea resort town of Eilat last week, police told the Hebrew news daily Yediot Aharonot Monday.

An Eilat police spokesperson said the identity of the nephew emerged during questioning of the tourists following the incident, which occurred last Wednesday. A police patrol discovered the three tourists lying on the promenade; all suffered stab wounds to their lower bodies.

Police said the perpetrators, who fled the scene, are believed to be Israelis. The three were evacuated to the city’s Yoseftal Medical Center for treatment and flown back to France on Friday. The motive for the attack remains unclear.

Foreign media reports suggested the stabbing may have been linked to the planned publication of three anti-Semitic essays by the late French writer and physician Louis-Ferdinand Destouches (aka Celine), which received the support of the French prime minister despite generating an outcry from the country’s Jewish community. Other media reports said the attack could be linked to anger in Israel over France’s refusal to accept US President Donald Trump’s recognition of Jerusalem as capital of the Jewish State.